Sri Lanka Arrests Ex-First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa Over Charity Donations
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Sri Lanka's former first lady, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, was arrested Wednesday over allegations that a charity she is linked to misused donations meant for a children's hospital. The arrest is the latest in a series of corruption cases against members of the powerful Rajapaksa family.
According to ABC News, a court ordered her held for a week while investigations continue. She has denied wrongdoing, BBC News reported.
What she is accused of
BBC News reported that anti-corruption authorities arrested the 73-year-old, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, at the couple's Colombo home. They are questioning her over 10 million rupees ($30,300) collected by the Siriliya Saviya charity. The money was meant to pay for a specialized scanner for Colombo's Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital. Officials say the Chinese government had already donated such a scanner, according to the BBC.
ABC News, citing the accusations, reported that the charity received the money as a donation from a state bank earmarked for a scanner for a government hospital. The bank's then-head was also arrested for allegedly circumventing procedures when releasing the funds. A court released him on bail.
What the family says
Shiranthi Rajapaksa says the money has not been appropriated, the BBC reported. Manoj Gamage, a spokesperson for Mahinda Rajapaksa, said the money is safe in the charity's accounts and that no fraud occurred.
She returned to Sri Lanka on Monday from Singapore, where she had received medical treatment. She had filed a court petition to try to block her arrest, but the hearing was set for 12 October. ABC News reported that she had one eye bandaged from recent surgery when police escorted her to a vehicle to be taken to jail.
A family under investigation
Mahinda Rajapaksa was president from 2005 to 2015. Many hailed him as a hero for ending a civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009. His popularity later declined amid allegations of bribery, corruption and curbs on freedoms, according to ABC News, and he lost his bid for a third term in 2015. The family held many top government posts during that time.
The family returned to power in 2019 when his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected president. Then came an economic crash, which ABC News linked to the COVID-19 crisis, a tourism downturn and his economic decisions. In 2022, protests erupted as inflation surged and the country ran short of fuel, food and medicine, the BBC reported. Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to resign and flee the country.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office in 2024 on an anti-corruption platform, promising action against anyone suspected of corruption in the Rajapaksa family and earlier administrations. The BBC reported that his government has revived long-stalled investigations involving various family members.
Their eldest son, Namal Rajapaksa, was arrested earlier this year over allegations tied to an aircraft procurement deal during his father's presidency, and is held in remand, according to the BBC. ABC News described the charges against him as bribery. Another son, Yoshitha, was also arrested earlier this year on corruption charges, the BBC said.
Why it matters
The case tests the Dissanayake government's pledge to pursue corruption allegations against a family that long dominated Sri Lankan politics. It also centers on donations intended for a children's hospital, a public-health cause. Whether the money was misused is still disputed: authorities allege misuse, while the family says the funds are intact.
What happens next
Shiranthi Rajapaksa remains in detention for a week pending investigations, under the court's order. Her petition against arrest was scheduled for a hearing on 12 October, according to the BBC.
